Air Show

HARLINGEN — The city’s historic ties to aviation came to life Saturday as four vintage aircraft, like something out of a Hollywood World War II feature, sat sprawled across an apron at Valley International Airport.

The vibrantly colored craft flew into VIA from Brownsville, home of the Rio Grande Valley wing of the Commemorative Air Force, a group dedicated to the preservation of aviation history. The planes were at the airport for a “static air show,” part of Harlingen’s centennial celebrations.

VIA is the site of the World War II Harlingen aerial gunnery school, the former Harlingen Air Force Base and the former home of the Commemorative Air Force, once known as the Confederate Air Force. Saturday’s show was billed as the Harlingen
Centennial CAF Fly-In and Static Display.

On display were a Piper L4, L-17 Navion, PT-17 biplane and a Fairchild PT-26, which was used as a gunnery training plane for World War II pilots.

“Two airplanes over here were primary trainers,” CAF Operations Officer Chris Hughston said, referring to the PT-26 and PT-17.

Julian Cruz, 7, asked questions about the aircraft to CAF pilots under the wing of the Piper L4, a small plane kept in the field with infantry troops and used to transport military from base to base.

Among other missions, L-4s flew in support of the Allied invasion of North Africa in November 1942.

“The only thing I think is that it’s really cool how the airplanes soar through the sky and they take down the enemies like that,” little Julian said with a snap of his fingers. “I think the biplane is my favorite. The biplane is faster and it’s got guns to protect itself.”

During World War II, thousands of young men from across the country were stationed at what was then called Harlingen Army Airfield, where they trained to become aerial gunners. The airfield later became Harlingen Air Force Base.
The CAF’s significance in Harlingen’s history lies in its preservation of aircraft used here during World War II, when the city had the airbase on what is now Valley International Airport.

By the time the United States entered the war, the base was prepared to train aerial gunners who would fly missions over Europe and the South Pacific.

During the peak of World War II, the base had 3,500 military personnel and 600 civilian workers.

The Commemorative Air Force museum was here in Harlingen for about 30 years. It originated in Mercedes at a crop duster strip. About 19 years ago the headquarters moved to Midland.

“The objective of the museum is to remind people of the sacrifices made by people in the armed services, particularly WWII, and also to instill an interest in aviation and the science and mathematics that go along with it,” Hughston said.